Bald Move Pulp - Fyre (Netflix) and Fyre Fraud (Hulu)

Netflix and Hulu had dueling documentaries on doomed Fyre music festival, Fyre, and Fyre Fraud respectively. With slightly different focuses, the documentaries broadly outline how founder Billy McFarland built several ponzi schemes on the idea of selling a fictionalized “baller” lifestyle to young, naive, rich people and took them for a ride. Built on the back of a few dozen paid influencers and a long list of impossible promises, Fyre was supposed to be the event of the decade. Instead, it barely avoiding being a genuine humanitarian disaster. We discuss influencing, the morality of excess, and engage in the kind of barely contained glee at seeing narcissists fall from grace that you’d expect in this discussion of all things Fyre.

The World We Deserve - 303 – The Big Never

HBO’s True Detective continues to build their triple layer mystery over three decades in “The Big Never”. A lot of new clues come to light; the children being secretive in the woods; handwritten notes and maps; a photo of Will taking communion that looks suspiciously like the way his body was staged in death. Meanwhile detective West recruits Hayes to help with the re-opened case in the 90’s, and in 2015 Hayes has to face gaps and inconsistencies with the official investigation while being confronted by the ghosts of his past. All this plus a rollicking discussion of feedback and the latest theories harvested from the psycho-sphere!

The World We Deserve - 301 & 302 – The Great War and Modern Memory & Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

We’ve checked out the first two episodes of HBO’s True Detective season three, and there is so much to talk about! Reliable unreliable narrators, parallel time structures, two macho, damaged cops who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get hands on with crime, and in the center, a missing persons case with strange, unexplained details. It feels a lot like season one, but Mahershala Ali brings a stellar performance to a character that is dealing with post-war trauma and racism in middle America. And don’t get us started on moon phases!

Bald Move Pulp - Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Jim and A.Ron have explored the latest Black Mirror mindf$#%, Bandersnatch. Essentially a choose your own adventure book turned into an interactive Netflix app, Bandersnatch periodically pauses to ask you how the narrative should proceed as you attempt to guide a troubled young 1980’s programmer on the cusp of creating an acclaimed video game of the same name. With branching parallel storylines that can have outcomes that can be mundane, psychotic, or extremely meta, we ask if this is the future of television? We stay spoiler-free for a good portion of the beginning of this podcast, so if you’re curious if it’s worth your time feel free to listen up to the spoiler segment!

The World We Deserve - Season 3 Preview!

After three long years off the air, True Detective makes a season three comeback on the backs of Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff. We talk about the show’s premise and leads, our feelings about the franchise in general, thoughts on the promotional material and interviews we’ve read so far, reasons to hope that season three is a return to form after an arguable stumble in season two, and where things might go wrong. See you back here next Tuesday!

HOTD: A House of the Dragon Podcast - “Gods of Thrones” – “Fire and Blood” – Part 3

We’re back with a super-sized wrap up episode for our coverage of our new book, Gods of Thrones, as well as putting George’s Fire & Blood to bed as we consider the final third of the book, starting with “The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant”. Anthony and I get things kicked off with a discussion of Lord Cregan Stark and his “Hour of the Wolf”. Then I welcome our old pal Kim Renfro (follow her on Twitter!) back to discuss women in Westeros, our theories on Game of Thrones and GRRM himself. Finally, I interview illustrator Chase Stone, who did the cover and interior art for Gods of Thrones, about life as a professional artist, his work on Magic: The Gathering and The World of Ice and Fire, as well as his influences and techniques.

HOTD: A House of the Dragon Podcast - “Gods of Thrones” – “Fire and Blood” – Part 2

Anthony jones me once again as we discuss the second third of GRRM’s new Fire & Blood, as we consider from “Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Their Triumphs and Tragedies” to “The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant”. Firewyrms! Mysteries of the wall! Dragon eggs beneath Winterfell! And many other interesting twists and tidbits we found in this fake history book detailing the first 150 years of Targaryen reign over Westeros.

HOTD: A House of the Dragon Podcast - “Gods of Thrones” – “Fire and Blood” – Part 1

My Gods of Thrones co-author Anthony is back once again as we do a deep dive on GRRM’s latest work, Fire & Blood! We talk about events up to but not including “Jaehaerys and Alysanne, Their Triumphs and Tragedies”. Next week we’ll be reading up to “The Dying of the Dragons, Rhaenyra Triumphant”, before finishing the book the week after. This week’s all about Aegon, Maegor, and the third generation Targaryen that really steals the show, Jaehaerys! We talk about the gossipy tone the Maester sometimes takes, the doctrinal concept of “Targaryen Exceptionalism”, missing dragon eggs, maester conspiracy theories, and that most well worn Thrones hobbyhorse, incest.

Bald Move Pulp - The Romanoffs – 108 – The One That Holds Everything

Amazon Prime’s The Romanoffs arrives at the finish line in “The One That Holds Everything”. If you were hoping that this would be the one that really brings into focus Weiner’s thesis for The Romanoffs, you’re probably walking away disappointed. An ambitious story framing device that doesn’t quite work leads to a surprise ending that doesn’t feel earned, and we’re still left at the end of it all confused and asking “why?” What is so fascinating about the Romanovs and their lives of various levels of privledge and quiet desperation that justifies the time and expense that went into making this, or watching it? We don’t have great answers, but we’re relieved to see this particular line of Romanoffs brought to an end.